


Beyond

by cyndario



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Camaraderie, Developing Friendships, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Inspired by Music, M/M, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:35:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28650639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyndario/pseuds/cyndario
Summary: beyond the sorrowbeyond regretbeyond the tremors of a quake you can't forgetbeyond the hardest times man you ain't seen nothing yetmy love will still be
Relationships: Macen Barro/Avitus Rix
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Amel Larrieux’s _Beyond_ & follow up to _Last Thing I See_

Avitus sat in the Pathfinder Hall, taking in the sights and sounds aboard the Nexus. 

He should probably head out—he's been here for too long already. But the holographic memorial in the far corner always catches his eye. It flashes, displaying the profiles of the Pathfinders lost. 

Alec. Ishara. Raeka. Macen. 

The images only last for a minute before it shifts to the next, but his breath catches in his throat whenever Macen is displayed. 

Nexus leadership wanted him to go to therapy. His fellow Pathfinders—Hayjer and Sarissa—were cautious whenever they spoke with him. No one was exempt from pain once they reached Andromeda, but their looks held pity whenever they turned it his way. 

He didn't want it. 

He felt Tann and Addison scrutinizing his every move. Their attention intently focused on him and his missions. Concern, as they called it, had been expressed regarding his work ethic. How determined he was to recover more turian stasis pods. How hellbent he was on finding a new home. His lack of rest, increased irritability—all of it. 

He didn't care. 

Only Alec’s daughter Shudun seemed to understand his mindset. She was truly the only one he spoke with—if they even did speak. Sometimes they would sit in comfortable silence, shoulder to shoulder, staring out into the vast void of the system that robbed the two of them of their loved ones. Like now, actually. She had found him sitting in his usual area, joined with a soft ‘hello’ and nothing more. The beeps of her data pad and omni tool intermittent as she poured herself into various tasks—securing supplies for outposts, coordinating defenses against kett, ship repairs. They coped similarly, it seemed. 

And all the while, she never once forced unwanted conversation. She would ask his advice about certain things, sure, but ultimately that comfortable silence would envelop them while she worked. 

He was… thankful she never pushed him to speak unnecessarily. That she just seemed to… understand. 

Spirits, he wished Macen could have met her. He’d like her—he just knew it. 

“Avitus?” 

He angled his head to show he was listening, feeling as the smaller woman placed a light tap on his shoulder. Her things were all packed up, safely tucked away in the bag across her shoulder. Had he zoned out so bad he didn’t hear or feel her packing up?

“I gotta head out. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Ah, no matter since he was planning on heading out, too. Avitus rose from his seat, stretching minutely as he spared a look at the memorial hologram. Macen’s visage had just appeared and within the blink of an eye it was gone again. Redirecting his focus to her, he nodded in understanding. 

“Stay safe, kid.” His voice sounded rough from misuse, but she smiled at him all the same. 

“I’ll do my best. You do the same.” 

Avitus nodded once, his blank stare mirrored back at him. Ah, it seemed her smile didn’t reach her eyes today. 

Footsteps passed by the opening to the memorial section, both Pathfinders looking up to see Nexus leadership heading towards Tann’s office. They were arguing about something or other, and Shudun noticed how tense Avitus got when Anderson or Tann spoke. 

“Either of them been bothering you? I told them to back off; I can do it again.” 

He laughed at how rough her voice got, a genuine smile baring his teeth. “No. They’ve toned it down. Don’t worry.” 

“You’d tell me, though, right?” The emptiness in her gaze shifted, now it was worry that clouded her eyes. That irritation didn’t fester in his chest at the sight, instead he kept his rueful smile as he patted the top of her head. She swatted playfully at his talons, just barely missing hitting him before he pulled his arm back. 

“And risk _you_ biting my head off instead if I didn’t?” The easy way he responded seemed to make her relax as she looked out once more over his shoulder. When her focus redirected back to him and she smiled, her eyes seemed a little more hopeful, before she waved goodbye. 

He watched her go, seeing her disappear into the ever growing Nexus hub. The crowds of people—turian and humans alike—were steadily increasing over time. Thanks to both of their efforts, their people were able to have a safe second chance at life in this new system. 

He just wished Macen had been the one to see it through. Or better yet, that they could have seen it through together. 

With one last look over his shoulder, he laid eyes on Macen’s visage and silently left Pathfinder Hall.

He had work to do.


End file.
